Ministers › Statesman / Official
E Erqi
Manchu official and younger brother of Ortai who became minister of revenue and commander of the capital gendarmerie under Yongzheng until Li Wei impeached him in 1733
In the courtyard of a district government hall, a line of petitioners waits before a raised bench with a long table and document boxes; a blue umbrella stands beside it, a large drum stands at the gate where a few people wait, and a lake with sailboats lies beyond.
Also known as Zi Jizheng
- Roles
- Statesman / Official
Ortai's younger brother E'erqi was a Manchu of the Silin Gioro clan in the Bordered Blue Banner. He gained his jinshi in 1712 and entered the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. Under the Yongzheng emperor he rose through four promotions to vice-minister, serving in the ministries of works and rites and acting in the war ministry, and he eventually became minister of revenue while also commanding the gendarmerie of the capital. In 1733 the Zhili governor-general Li Wei impeached him for breaking the law for private gain, disrupting regulations and harming the people; the charges were upheld, but the emperor pardoned him out of regard for Ortai's services, and he left office. He died at home two years later. The Draft History of Qing (Qingshi gao) appends a brief notice of him to his brother's biography, recording only his offices and the impeachment.
Life and times
Dates 1682 CE–1735 CE